Thanks

[Drama Llama]

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Edited December 4, 2021 by Baseballandhockey

[Pawz4me]

I don't think there's any wrong choice as long as you have confidence in it. By that I mean a really good/trustworthy pet sitter, a good boarding facility who actually knows what they're doing, etc. My concern with boarding kennels is that the pay is typically low and staff turnover is often high, and I wonder how that's going in this job market. I think it's a crap shoot whether the staff in some facilities has a clue about dogs, behavior, etc. I'm a little biased toward boarding with the pet's vet if that's a service they offer and it's more than an afterthought to other services. There's professional supervision there, and easy access to care, which might be particularly important for an elderly pet.

[Spryte]

With elderly dogs, I would lean toward boarding with the vet, or—most likely in my case—finding a pet sitter we trust to stay in his normal home with him.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I am looking at a similar situation for a couple of days in January. My guy is 14.75 years old. We're currently looking for a pet sitter to come stay overnight as my guy needs to be encouraged to go out for late night and early morning potty breaks in order to avoid accidents in the house.

Has your dog been to doggy day care in the past 5 years? Has he been around many other dogs during that time? If not, I would consider what Spryte suggests and putting him with a vet with boarding and exercise options or finding a pet sitter.  I would be concerned about the stress of other dogs and being in a new environment.

[MercyA]

My elderly guy did much better at the vet than at a boarding kennel. 

For our current dog, we use pet sitters who board in their own homes. We found our current sitter at rover.com. You can also search for house sitters and people who do drop-in visits there. I chose someone who had many repeat customers.

[Drama Llama]

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Edited December 4, 2021 by Baseballandhockey

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Healthy is wonderful. I hope he continues to be healthy for you.

If he's used to one-on-one time all day, I would definitely go with a pet sitter where he can be loved by people all day. Do you have a close friend who will watch him for you? How many days will it be? If it's a couple of days, I would see if someone could come to your BIL's house so his routine is as normal as possible; I usually do this for my elderly guy. If it's a week, see if someone will take him into their home. It will be easier for the pet sitter. 

[livetoread]

Our dog loved doggie daycare, but when she got old and slow, we took her to an in house pet sitter who specialized in senior dogs. She was only crated at night and got to hang with a couple of other dogs but nothing overwhelming. It worked out really well. I found the sitter on some petsitting website, don't know which one.

 

[MercyA]

1 hour ago, livetoread said:

Our dog loved doggie daycare, but when she got old and slow, we took her to an in house pet sitter who specialized in senior dogs. She was only crated at night and got to hang with a couple of other dogs but nothing overwhelming. It worked out really well. I found the sitter on some petsitting website, don't know which one.

Yes. My pet sitter specializes in small dogs (only 15 lb. and under) and only takes two guests at a time. It's is perfect for us. Not too overwhelming, not in a cage, lots of personal attention. She sends us pictures while we are gone.

[Halftime Hope]

We've had good experiences with 1) boarding him with a person who only has a few dogs come stay at their home at once, or 2) with having a house-sitter who either stays over night or checks in several times daily because they lived in our neighborhood.  (Photos of the visits and walks were part of the deal.) 

Good luck! 

[Lanny]

I will share with you my experiences with the last two (2) Old English Sheepdogs I had. We have dogs now, but they are mixed-breed-mutts. The first one, I flew out of town to a job assignment without her, and I boarded her with my vet. I went back a week or 2 later, to drive her to where I was (in a mid-Atlantic state). She seemed OK, but the night after we arrived at the motel, I woke up about 430 A.M. and found that she was in the bathroom, dead. She was 7 years and 8 months old.  Gastric Torsion was the cause of her death.

Then, my last OES, I'd moved to a smaller city in Texas and the vet there had given me information on someone near to that city who had a boarding kennel in the country. They had horses and my vet also took care of horses.  My dog had been there many times.  On at least one occasion, I know the owner of the kennel (who took care of my dog) took her to the vet for me. That's what you need. That OES made the trip from Texas to Colombia at the age of 12 1/2 and passed away (needed to be put to sleep after a Stroke) at 15+ years of age.  So, boarding her in a kennel she was accustomed to seemed to be fine for her.

In your case, I suggest, if you can find the "right" person, that they come to the house where the dog lives and "pet sit" the dog, 24/7, in that house, so the dog will be as comfortable as is possible.   I believe the dog could become agitated if left alone or in a kennel situation and that if possible best to have it in it's own house.